Looking Into the Mystique of Notre Dame Football (11556)

Excellence transcends the football field for the famous Fighting Irish, and this commitment to quality incorporates a strong component of Catholic faith.

A statue of the Blessed Mother stands atop the golden dome of the Main Building.

– University of Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame is second to none when it comes to rich football tradition.

This is made clear by glancing at the records of just three of the school’s coaches, the legendary Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian. They have a combined 287 wins, 40 losses and 18 ties at Notre Dame (an .857 winning percentage), along with nine national championships.

And it will add another title in 2013, if this year’s unbeaten Fighting Irish squad can overcome the powerhouse University of Alabama team in the Jan. 7 BCS Championship Game in Miami.

Notre Dame’s excellence doesn’t end on the football field, however. In fact, its football team’s athletic achievements may even pale in comparison with its academic ones. Since 1962, Notre Dame has graduated an amazing 98.74% of its football players in four years, the highest mark in the nation.

Holy Cross Father Willy Raymond said this has not happened accidentally, but by design.

“Notre Dame has a long history of high academic standards,” said Father Raymond. “The school was established in 1842, and the football program only came along 45 years later, in 1887. There are plenty of other sporting teams and, of course, plenty of academic disciplines that most people are not familiar with. Yet football is the most common way the average person knows about the school. That’s the entry point, but there is so much more beyond it.”

Father Raymond related how head football coach Frank Leahy put together a successful program in the 1940s and 1950s, but at a price, according to some administrators.

“Frank Leahy was a great coach,” Father Raymond acknowledged. “His teams won plenty of games and four national championships. However, there was a feeling among the school’s administration that he was independent of them. They wanted him to realize he was part of the university and that football came after academic and spiritual pursuits.”

Continued Father Raymond, “Father Theodore Hesburgh, who was the university’s president from 1952 to 1987, set out to put football in its rightful place. This brought about enough tension for Coach Leahy to resign in January of 1954, even though he had two years left on his contract.

“The two men had their differences, but would eventually reconcile before Leahy’s death, in 1973. Father Hesburgh was even present with Coach Leahy during the last two days of his life.”

The Ara Parseghian Era

Some thought after Leahy’s departure from Notre Dame in 1954 that the football program itself had seen its last days of success. “The emphasis on academics would not allow Notre Dame to recruit the top athletes, they thought,” Father Raymond explained. “The football team didn’t do too well for a decade after Leahy left, but that turned around with the hiring of Ara Parseghian in 1964.

“During his tenure, the program posted a record of 95 wins, 17 losses and four ties, with no loosening of academic standards. The belief that you can’t have both top students and top athletes was proven false.”

Parseghian was thoroughly aware of the importance of recruiting young men who were skilled both physically and mentally.

“The coaching staff knew that Notre Dame was first and foremost an institution of higher learning,” the 89-year-old Parseghian told the Register. “The central purpose of attending the school was to become educated in a specific discipline. Football was strictly secondary. Contrary to what some might think, this really did help us. Players like Joe Montana were great not from a sheer physical standpoint, but primarily because of their minds.”

When a player’s mind was not on academics, he was certain to hear about it from the coaches.

“If someone didn’t attend class, we were all over him,” Parseghian noted. “There was no tolerance for taking schoolwork lightly. Most of the time, this wasn’t an issue, though. When you have rigorous entry requirements to begin with, chances are very good that you’ll do well once you’re attending the school. The pre-entry screening process was very helpful.”

Something else that proved helpful for Parseghian’s teams was spending the night before home games at Moreau Seminary, located on the other side of St. Joseph’s Lake on campus.

“The first year I was at Notre Dame, 1964, we found that the seminary was spacious enough to house the football team, in addition to the seminarians who were already living there,” he recalled. “I was pleased with this, because the atmosphere of the seminary was so tranquil. It was very conducive to getting a good night‘s rest.”

The next morning, the entire team, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, would attend Mass and receive a blessing from a Holy Cross priest. Blessed medals were handed out to players and coaches as well.

Parseghian, who is not Catholic, appreciated this spiritual component to Notre Dame football: “There was always an underlying spirituality to whatever happened at Notre Dame. That was one of the main reasons I enjoyed being there so much.”

Parseghian chose to stay in South Bend despite offers to coach in professional football. He found the area to be a great fit, especially considering his children’s ages at the time. “It was perfect for my family. The spirituality, the smaller town, the dedication to learning — it all came together so well. It was better to be there than to have gone to a larger city, which would have been necessary if I had accepted a position in pro football.”

Summed up Parseghian, “I appreciate my years at Notre Dame, not just from a professional standpoint, but from a family one as well.”

A Player’s Perspective

Anthony Brannan, a linebacker at Notre Dame from 1996 to 2000, also has a great appreciation for his experience in South Bend. The dedication to academic and athletic excellence impressed him, but most impressive was the spirituality encompassing his collegiate years.

“The academic standards at Notre Dame were very high, from gaining admission to attending classes to actually graduating,” Brannan remembered. “On the recruiting trip, you’re likely to talk with more advisers than coaches, and once you’re in school, the coaches made sure you attended classes. I recall seeing assistant coaches at classroom doors to make sure we players were there. It wasn’t just support staff, but the coaches themselves who were present.”

It was clear to Brannan that playing football came second to earning a degree. However, excelling at football was also expected, a reality he enjoyed. “In my first year on the squad, I had the opportunity to play for Lou Holtz, who was upbeat, energetic and goal-oriented. He was very much into the game and wanted to get the best performances out of his players.”

Brannan remembered that Holtz’s perspective didn’t end on the football field: “He took it all into context. Before games, he would say, ‘Gentlemen, remember who you’re playing for: Our Lady on the Golden Dome (there was a large statue of the Blessed Virgin atop the Main Building on campus) and Our Lord.’ That was just one example of how spirituality was to be found nearly everywhere on campus or at university-related events.”

Impressed by Knute Rockne

Holy Cross Father Paul Doyle will be among those hoping the Fighting Irish do well against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide for the national title. Father Doyle is the home-game chaplain for the team, which is appropriate, considering how he learned of the university in the first place.

“My father was attending Mount St. Mary’s in Emmetsburg, Md., in the 1920s,” Father Doyle explained. “At the time, Knute Rockne was doing a fine job of coaching at Notre Dame, which brought a lot of attention to the school. That impressed my father, and he was determined that his future children would attend Notre Dame. My three brothers and I ended up doing just that.

“I was also ordained a Holy Cross father and spent my first nine years in parish ministry. Then I returned to campus and have been here ever since.” In fact, Father Doyle doesn’t even leave campus for road games; he lets another priest take care of the team away from home.

On campus at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Father Doyle offers Mass the morning of home games, with all the players and coaching staff present. At the end of Mass, the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary is prayed, a relic of the true cross is venerated, and team members receive a blessed medal of a saint.

“The traditions surrounding Notre Dame football have largely remained unchanged,” Father Doyle said. “We’ve had Mass for the team on game days since the 1920s at least, and the medals have been a part of it for as long as I can remember. We give inexpensive oxidized medals of a different saint to the players and coaches before every game, along with a short catechesis on the saint. We explain why that particular witness of God is relevant to them today.”

Father Doyle said he tries not to repeat a saint within a four-year cycle, so everyone will have a new medal to add to his collection each week. While this year’s squad is just under 50% Catholic, players and coaches tend to cherish the medals, regardless of their religious affiliation.

Broader Perspective

In the locker room just before the game, Father Doyle leads the team in prayer. An Our Father is prayed, and Our Lady of Victory is invoked. The whole team is blessed, and, shortly afterward, they take to the field with a sense of purpose and a perspective that extends beyond football.

While the best-known aspect of the University of Notre Dame is its football team, the school is not devoted to the sport at the expense of its founding principles. The academic and spiritual components of student life are generally seen as superior to, and also helpful for, athletic pursuits.

Success on and off the field are interconnected in South Bend, and most fans remain steadfast in their loyalty to the nation’s best-known Catholic college. Football unites them, but something greater than the game unites them even more.

Father Doyle believes the major unifying principle is tied in with the founding of the school itself.

“It ultimately goes back to the purpose behind the school’s origin — to recognize not just the laws of nature, but the Author of those laws; not just the history of nations, but the Lord of those nations; not just the truths of philosophy, but ultimate Truth Itself,” Father Doyle said. “No one has done this better than Our Lady (translated ‘Notre Dame’ in French), so it is fitting that the school is named after her. The mystique of anything good here in South Bend is inevitably associated with Our Lady.”

Comments

This is a puff piece advanced to try to erase the devastating effects of the Land of Lakes Conference in 1967 where under the leadership of the emminent Past President of Notre Dame, Father Theodore Hesburgh, and others sold out higher Catholic education in our major colleges and universities for the proverbial *30 pieces of silver*, or in this case, government funds, and grants by the Rockefeller Foundation, by relinquishing any ties to the teachings of Catholic authority, in obedience instead to the academic freedom enjoyed by the secular world.
Instead of new found freedoms, these institutions have been in bondage
to Satan ever since! You need only look beneath the glossed over ambiance that calls itself academic freedom to find the truth of this statement.

Posted by Isabel Kilian on Thursday, Jan 17, 2013 9:13 AM (EST):

Nick Saban is a strong Catholic who gives a great example to all of the students and faculty of the Univeristy of Alabama. He is only one man firmly rooted in the faith but that is all Our Lady needs. You probably can’t find one soul on the University of Notre Dame equal in Faith in Hope and in Charity to this Coach. Alabama may not be an elitist university but it is an honest one. Notre Dame says it is Catholic but we all know it is not. It is now just a government funded institution spouting a government agenda to baptized Catholic kids who have to pay a lot of money for all the anti Christian propaganda they are fed every day. I knew Alabama would win. Our Lady was with St. Nick that day because Notre Dame abandoned her and her Son for a government subsidy.

Posted by bruce moorhead on Monday, Jan 14, 2013 4:29 PM (EST):

Fr.Jenkins and his administration never apologized to the 88 protesters that were wrongly arrested at NOTRE DAME’S invite to Pres.Obama during the graduation class of 2009. Only when the 88 threatened (2 yrs.later) to sue for false arrest and imprisonment, did Notre Dame drop the charges. By the way, Notre Dame invited Obama (the very abortion agenda politician) back to speak last year-2012. Notre Dame refused to have all of their faculty and teachers sign ‘The Vatican Order’ - that any Catholic group or Catholic school HAS to obey Catholic teachings to call themselves Catholic! Were are you Fr.Jenkins on this very important issue? Sadly, a small group of pro-life Notre Dame students and probably Fr.Jenkins are to lead the ‘March For Life’ event in Wash.D.C. on Jan.25,2013. The whole World is now supposed to believe that Notre Dame is Catholic in protecting the unborn babies that were and are murdered and is 100% Catholic. Shame on the organization committee of the ‘March’ for selecting Notre Dame. Let Notre Dame wait to lead the March and only when they sign the ‘Vatican Pledge’ Why not put The Beautiful Statue Of ‘Mary,Our Blessed Mother’, back on top of the Golden Dome - where it belongs again! The ‘March’ has so many decent groups that are earnestly Pro-Life! and not Notre Dame!

Posted by Sassy on Monday, Jan 14, 2013 7:25 AM (EST):

I was asked what Notre Dame is doing to make amends for inviting and awarding Pres. Obama an honorary degree. Well, I will tell you. Upon alumni pushback, they opened a new center for Catholic Identity that is rededicated to exposing students to genuine Catholic doctrine using a variety of means. Many orthodox Catholic speakers have visited the campus and millions of dollars have been poured in to the University to support pro-life measures. So Notre Dame acknowledged its mistake by redoubling or tripling its efforts to embrace orthodox Catholicism.

Notre Dame has had a long-standing tradition of inviting sitting presidents to speak at its commencement. Until now, all of the presidents who accepted were pro-life Republicans. However, as many of you may not know, Notre Dame, being taught be an order, does not answer to the bishop of South Bend. Father Jenkins can only be reprimanded by the head of the Holy Cross or Pope Benedict himself. Notre Dame is still suffering from the scandal. However, they are moving in the right direction.

Posted by Rob L on Friday, Jan 11, 2013 8:38 PM (EST):

Bruce, you did not read my post close enough. Reread it, this response illustrates how you and your “courageous protester’s” thinking is part of the problem.

I’m glad Pro Life people will be at a March For Life in DC with all kinds of bloody, obscene pictures. God bless them, and I hope they can reach someone undecided on abortion that it should be made illegal in that venue. Your holier-than-thou attitude apparently blinds you from asking whether you have the right to do that anywhere you want. You and the protesters had such a petulant temper tantrum when Jenkins refused to revoke Obama’s invitation that you took it upon yourself to trash graduation week. If you couldn’t be listened to, then you were going to ruin it for everyone. Apparently none of them ever prayed whether their actions were to advance the life issue, or whether it was giving into the temptation of anger about being ignored.

“If you Rob and in your words ‘the special moment of their lives’ of the offended class of 2009 - should have boycotted in protest Mr.Obama present on the campus of N.D.” Uh excuse me, who in the world do you think you are? This self righteousness is incredible! How dare you demand that people skip graduation and join the cranks in stewing in their bitterness? I didn’t graduate in 2009, but I did graduate from Notre Dame and obviously you don’t understand what an important time that is to celebrate with loved ones. A person that loves his brother as himself wouldn’t need to go there to know how special that week was. They would pause to ask themselves whether there was the potential to be way out of line. I would never dream to try to spoil that for other people to score cheap political points. That selfishness would never occur to me. Walking up to proud parents admiring the beauty of campus for the first time with dead babies in strollers? How full of oneself does one have to be to think that is appropriate? What kind of pretentious extremist thinks that is persuasive in such an inappropriate setting? Way to make Catholics look like the biggest group of LUN-A-TICS on the planet. It’s not surprising, as I said they weren’t protesting to advance Catholicism or God’s Word. This wasn’t really about love of the unborn, this is about the hate of being dismissed. Be very careful with hate…

Ironically, the ones so angry at Our Lady’s University really weren’t ignored, you just couldn’t get what you want. You fail to understand that you can’t unring that bell, you can’t invite the President, no matter how loathsome of a person this is, and revoke it. I opposed inviting him, but understand that decorum dictates you can’t take that back. (Clearly I might as well be typing in Greek using words like “decorum” to people who think dead babies in strollers is “necessary” but trust me, it matters to many adults) Instead, one does other things. For instance Jenkins has been the leading litigant in suing the Administration over forcing Catholic employers to pay for birth control. A far more important issue than whether he opens his mouth somewhere. That’s how grownups make up for mistakes. They don’t make fools of themselves trying to embarrass their peers. They don’t selfishly try to ruin positive things for others with their negativity. Unfortunately, everyone on this thread who is trashing Notre Dame appears very far from God in their thinking.

Posted by Rob on Friday, Jan 11, 2013 7:23 PM (EST):

@Rob L said
“The continued whining against ND on this thread by those obsessed with the politics of the Pro-Life movement makes me less interested in Pro Life politics with each comment.”
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Rob L, if whining makes you less likely to stand up for a human life then maybe you should consider what it will be like when you are burning in hell surrounded by the wailing of billions of souls.
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I don’t like politics, but we are living in a Holocaust. Either we make some pale effort to oppose this murder or we stand by and do nothing.
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If you believe abortion is murder then you have to stand against any Catholic action that condones or fails to speak God’s truth against abortion. How will Notre Dame University or our bishops improve if no one has the courage to point out such a grievous failure?
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If you don’t think abortion is murder then say so.

Posted by bruce moorhead on Friday, Jan 11, 2013 3:43 PM (EST):

I sent you a new e-mail about 30 minutes ago and you reported a spam possibility. It was from me and not spam.

Posted by bruce moorhead on Friday, Jan 11, 2013 3:00 PM (EST):

In response to Rob L. Before and after the 2009 Notre Dame graduation, over 800,000 individual petitions were sent to Notre Dame and over 80 Catholic Bishops opposed Notre Dame for inviting Obama in 2009. The Most abortion minded and in his voting actions - President Obama. Abortion IS killing a human being with potential.The public needs to see how bad baby killing looks like. Pro-Life people with bloodied pictures of aborted babies will be at the ‘March For Life’in Wash.D.C. Baby strollers with simulated aborted babies that were shown at the the graduation would not have been necessary if Notre Dame would have invited a decent person and definitely not Mr. Obama. Why has ‘Roe versus Wade’ not been overturned in almost 40 yrs? Because for an example,a very huge travesty, Notre Dame and other supposedly Catholic schools keep inviting baby-killing speakers and awarding them with honors. If you Rob and in your words ‘the special moment of their lives’ of the offended class of 2009 - should have boycotted in protest Mr.Obama present on the campus of N.D.

Posted by Rob L on Friday, Jan 11, 2013 12:44 PM (EST):

The continued whining against ND on this thread by those obsessed with the politics of the Pro-Life movement makes me less interested in Pro Life politics with each comment. Case-in-point; Bruce Moorhead “Fr.Jenkins and the Notre Dame administration did not drop the arrest and fines on the courageous 88 people who protested against Obama’s invite at the commencement for graduates in 2009.”
Nor should he, the only people who should apologize to the “Pro-Life movement” are the protesters for their ridiculous actions. Walking around campus with pretend dead babies in strollers, and handing out graphic pictures to families who are only trying to enjoy the special moment in their life of graduation from one of the best schools in the world? If you cared about people, rather than about talking down to them, you’d realize that graduation weekend is a special time to them, getting sucked into others’ political obsessions is not persuasive. Earth-to-Bruce, even people who agree with you find that obnoxious, self-righteous, and self defeating. I can’t tell you how many Catholics I talked to in the area who are embarrassed and ASHAMED of the behavior of these “courageous” protestors to this day. They set the movement back, because these “courageous” protestors are not fighting for the love of God, they are fighting for the love of themselves. Anyone unsure of their stance on the issue actually went against these alienating charactatures. If these attention seekers were actually focused on finally overturning Roe v Wade, they would never aggravate the majority with their holier-than-thou temper tantrums.
I’ve once again seen here that anyone who throws around phrases like “real true Catholic” wouldn’t know the loving and merciful words of Jesus if they were tattooed on their foreheads. You don’t know what you are talking about regarding ND, nor much else. Pray that God grants you the mercy to stop making fools of yourselves, despite your pride and arrogance.

Posted by bruce moorhead on Friday, Jan 11, 2013 11:09 AM (EST):

This is a new reply to my last input on Jan4,2013 about Notre Dame - Who should not be leading the ‘March For Life’ on Jan.25,2013,in Wash.D.C. The faculty and administration at Notre Dame REFUSED to sign the Vatican(Rome) requirement that the University HAS to obey the teachings of the Catholic Faith. Fr.Jenkins has never apologized for inviting Pres.Obama and awarding Obama an honorary Law award. Fr.Jenkins and the Notre Dame administration did not drop the arrest and fines on the courageous 88 people who protested against Obama’s invite at the commencement for graduates in 2009. Only when the 88 threatened to file charges against Notre Dame for being illegally arrested, did Notre Dame drop the charges! Fr. Norman Weslin, a retired U.S/Army Col. was brutally thrown on the ground at the Notre Dame protest in 2009. Fr. Weslin passed away last year.Why not award Mr.Randall Terry to lead the March? Mr.Terry and his family has spent his time and wealth fighting for the unborn and is doing more for the Pro-Life cause then anyone along with his unpaid volunteers. Let Notre Dame wait a few years and when they become a real true Catholic University and only then should they lead the March!

Posted by Rob on Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013 6:33 PM (EST):

@sassy
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I would not “embrace the hate”. This is not just the normal pick on Notre Dame because they are big comments. Norte Dame made a major error in inviting Obama and providing him an honorary degree and had multiple opportunities to pull back at least part of the mistake, but did not.
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Because of these mistakes many Catholics were left with the impression that Catholic need not take life or abortion seriously. This is evidenced by the number of Catholics that supported anti-life candidates this last election.
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This was not a simple error. It was a major error with incredible visibility to Catholics and Americans in general. It was also a mistake with Major consequences and it hurt ND’s reputation among many devoted Catholics.
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While it is great to hear the endorsements of ND by their alum and friends, it would be more convincing to hear admission that they made a mistake and what they are doing to repair the damage and clarify the true message or Christ’s church.

Posted by Casting Crowns on Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013 6:26 PM (EST):

@Pollyana: Islamics are not attending Catholic universities to learn Christianity. And why are Catholic students refused admittance in favor of foreigners? They can charge foreign students higher tuition and wealthy Islamic families can bankroll new buildings on campus to teach Islam and thus convert YOU.

Posted by Kenny on Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013 3:21 PM (EST):

Casting Crowns,

If Georgetown (and ND, etc.) were truly Catholic, they’d go all out to convert the lost Muslims who enroll in their respective schools.

I ask you, what’s more importing, teaching the Muslims how to use toilet paper or showing them how to save their souls?

Posted by Casting Crowns on Wednesday, Jan 9, 2013 11:28 AM (EST):

@Sassy: Georgetown does not get off unscathed. They covered up their Catholic images including the crucifix not because of Obama, but rather to kowtow to their cash cow high $$$ Islamic donors oversees sending their kids to Georgetown. Seems they too have lost their way. “Where your heart is, there will your trea$ure be also.” I also will not let my own Alma Mater off—(Jesuit)Santa Clara U. In their high brow view of diversity, they hosted guest speak Karla LeVey—priestess of the Church of Satan. Her father, of course, is High Satanic Priest (Anton LeVey).

Posted by Sassy on Tuesday, Jan 8, 2013 8:11 AM (EST):

As an alumni of Our Lady’s university, I am greatly disappointed at the amount of vile contained in many of these posts. However, we are used to such remarks on many levels and on many topics, so we choose to “embrace the hate” and rise above it.

I am truly said that all the wonderful things Notre Dame does for the community and beyond, there still remains an over focus of all that is wrong about the school. Please tell me if you can name another university that planned several service projects during their NCG weekend. If you can, please cite the university and breath and depth of their service project.

ALL of us are sinners trying to get to heaven. I dare say nobody here has the right to a holier-than-thou attitude. If you knew the vast extent that ND has gone to to rededicate itself to Catholic tradition, which was spear-headed by alums upset about having a standing president as a graduation speaker, you may pause for more than a split second with your rants.

Personally, I do not want Notre Dame to be a parrot of Catholic teaching. I was supposed to get that in CCD. However, Notre Dame never strayed from core Catholic values. Perhaps trip, slips and falls, but nothing earth-shattering. We are probably one of the few remaining campuses that has single sex dorms and no Greek system.

Why don’t you tool on Georgetown for a while, as they covered up the crucifix and other Catholic images when Obama went there.

Let he who has not sinner be the first to cast the stone. And if you don’t like what is happening somewhere, do what ND teaches: rise above it and look to improve it showing the love of God.

May God bless you all on your spiritual journey.

Posted by Casting Crowns on Monday, Jan 7, 2013 4:34 PM (EST):

I always use to respect ND Heisman winner Tim Brown until I learned he was a clubhouse lawyer who went around his coaching staff with disloyalty. He was responsible for lockeroom discord, players quitting on their coaches resulting in Catholic Coach Bill Callahan being fired by Al Davis.

Notre Dame is special. I graduated from ND in 1965 and am well aware how fortunate I was to be part of this wonderful University. Unfortunatly there is much jealousy in the world and even hatred. Win or lose a football game we can always say “we are ND” and be proud.

Posted by Marty Gordon on Monday, Jan 7, 2013 1:42 AM (EST):

When they played Southern Cal a few weeks ago, an SC player was about to score, behind the goal line, reaching for the ball, and a ND player tackled him. Pass interference. Pretty poor playing. So, the TD was averted.

The ball was moved out to the usual half yard line and the Southern Cal tried again.

Once more the SC player was behind the goal line, about to catch the ball and score, and the ND player tackled him AGAIN. Pass interference AGAIN. Come on!!!

I’m sorry, that was obvious CHEATING and SC should have been granted the TD and ND should have been heavily penalized for doing that twice w/in about 5 minutes or less.

I am not impressed with the Notre Dame “mystique.”

Posted by TeaPot562 on Sunday, Jan 6, 2013 9:55 PM (EST):

A bit off the topic, but at the Univ. of Michigan (Ann Arbor), during the year I was there (1954-55), the ice hockey team was the only sports unit that had an older average age and lower average GPA than the football team.
I have no idea what the comparisons would be nearly 60 years later; but Notre Dame’s record for encouraging their athletes to complete their degrees is commendable.
TeaPot562

Posted by Dr. V on Sunday, Jan 6, 2013 4:35 PM (EST):

The lack of accurate information about the University of Notre Dame is disappointing. One by one let’s clear things up for those who are open minded enough to want the truth. Having visited several Catholic university campuses over the past 5 years (Georgetown, Boston College, Villanova, Catholic University, Franciscan, Loyola, Mount St. Mary’s, St. Joseph’s, Fordham), I feel that I have a fairly good knowledge of the spiritual and social climate they provide for their student population. ND has the highest academic ranking, and one of the most traditional residential structures of all of these other institutions There are 15 male and 14 female residence halls and they function as a “home away from home” for students with professional rectors (priests or lay educators), and a residence hall advisory staff on duty at all times. They do a good job of creating a positive bonding experience with traditional values, and a network for building commitment in service, social, and sports activities. There have been tragic incidents that have occurred, but each time the ND community comes together as a “family” to address the issue, and support those who are affected, while finding a way to heal and go on. There was a 20-year old student who died when the metal observation tower fell over in Fall 2010. He was not ordered to stay up there by anyone, but his choice to do so was not unlike the fearless and risk-taking decisions many young people make. There has also been times that ND chose to have leaders that hold positions that are inconsistent with Catholic values speak on campus. I too was unhappy about the 2011 commencement speaker, but Father Jenkins believed that this would open up a channel of communication on ND turf, which could possibly have a positive influence on shaping and changing things in a more pro-life way. Notre Dame has a strong Catholic identity, and continues to be a voice for the church when others want to reject it for its imperfections. I hope the Irish continue to use their visible football platform to share their moral values and Catholic principles that are alive and well. GO IRISH !

Posted by Dave on Sunday, Jan 6, 2013 12:19 PM (EST):

I am always confused by comments from people that say Notre Dame is “not Catholic enough”... I have visited many Catholic schools around the country and have friends at many of the most conservative ones (Franciscan, Benedictine, Thomas Aquinas…) and I have to say that Notre Dame is by FAR the most “Catholic”.

Priests live in every dorm and Mass is celebrated as many as 40 times per day on campus! I am, admittedly, a recent graduate of ND, and I met my wife there as well. I firmly believe that anyone who questions the Catholic nature of Our Lady’s university and its students has either never visited the campus or has believed everything they heard in the media without trying to find the other side of the story.

Thank you NCRegister for a very good article! I have to say that ND is the most spiritually-minded Catholic university I have ever been to.

Posted by Sean Donnelly on Sunday, Jan 6, 2013 9:26 AM (EST):

All of ND’s achievements were negated when Obozo the baby-killing bolshevick was allowed to defile the campus with his demonic presence.That was the moment that they abandoned Our Blessed Mother and embraced Satan.

Posted by Rob on Sunday, Jan 6, 2013 1:35 AM (EST):

I’m really stunned at the vitriol (and downright ignorance) of the comments on here against Notre Dame. Abandoned Christianity? Clearly none of these commenters attended school there. I did. I was pleasantly surprised at how much the Catholic faith was woven into the curriculum. I know of no other major University in the nation that teaches faith so openly and unabashedly.

To call the bitterness towards ND ever since they invited Obama to speak “overboard” is an understatement. The guy isn’t even a convincing speaker, are you really so insecure about the truth that abortion is wrong that you fear him giving a graduation address? Get over yourselves. The malice I read from so called “Catholics” hating Notre Dame because they know it no longer Catholic-enough doesn’t come from God. It’s not some misplaced love of the unborn either, it is obviously the sinful nature of man’s lust for political influence. Shame on you.

Posted by ProudNDalum on Sunday, Jan 6, 2013 1:27 AM (EST):

One thing that really irritates me are those “catholics” that are so hateful on this site and whose posts lack charity. These individuals are not even Christian, and by Christian I mean just that, not with Christ. If you’re Christian, be like Christ. And “God is Love”. And, trust me, God loves Notre Dame, HIS mother’s university, HIS mother’s team.

Matthew 7:14 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

Matthew 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

I wish people commenting on many NCR articles would stop thinking they are more Catholic than the Pope and act with Christian charity. Or, maybe that is too much to ask.

Posted by Rob on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 10:43 PM (EST):

@Gene
You comment is inaccurate and poorly thought out.
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People who expect a Catholic University to support the Catholic faith are not “zealots” and are not expecting “100% orthodoxy”.
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What they are expecting is that a University that claims to be Catholic to actually act Catholic. Your hypocritical support of Notre Dame is typical of Catholics who are Catholic by birth only.
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As to others comments:
1) Christians must love the sinner and hate the sin, so as long as Catholic universities are clear on the difference between gay attraction (a temptation), gay sex (a sin) and gay marriage (a sacrilege against the sacrament) then they should embrace, challenge and council gay people.
2) Even Catholics are human so whether a player raped someone is not an indication of the the goodness of the university. The indication is how the university handles it.
3) It is NOT Notre Dame that will lead the Right to Life parade, but rather Notre Dame Right to Life. A group that stood in opposition to the University, law school and president during the 2009 commencement disaster.
.
Finally…
.Notre Dame is responsible, as are many of our bishops, for the anti-life turn this country has taken. Catholics have supported Anti-Life democrats and the Anti-Life president in office resulting in the murder of innocents.
.
The church is responsible for muddling the message to Catholics in this country and letting them think that voting abortion is not a mortal sin. If you are Catholic and you vote for an abortion candidate or the abortion party, you are committing a mortal sin and you risk eternal damnation.
.
If the church does not believe this then they need to stop pretending they do. If they do believe this then they need to have the courage to say it rather than saying the pray at the democratic convention or eating dinner with and making jokes with Obama.
.
Pray that Notre Dame turns around. Pray that abortion comes to an end in this country and pray for forgiveness for the millions of children murdered in this country. Pray that the Catholic church has the courage to tell the world that supporting abortion in any way (including voting) is a mortal sin.

Posted by Garrick on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 10:23 PM (EST):

Your prediction ?

Posted by John Krug on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 8:02 PM (EST):

Notre Dame, like any institution made up of human beings, is far from perfect. However, Our Lady’s University is still a good and holy place with many good and holy people doing God’s work better than any other major university in the world. Rather than automatically dismissing all of the good things, we should promote and celebrate them, and pray and work to change the things that aren’t so good.

Posted by Padraig on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 7:02 PM (EST):

To bad Gene buys into modernist heresy that she is the Pope and can choose what holy Traditions and dogmas to follow.
Pray for the Pope and a return to Tradition!

Posted by Paul Bergeron on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 12:04 PM (EST):

I’ll trust a hermit in a cave to confer an honorary degree before I’ll trust a current member of the university’s administration.

Posted by John on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 11:32 AM (EST):

I just love all the hate ND gets from trivial, fallen away catholics who view the Church as something horrible or out of date. Yes, ND has some very liberal professors, just like all the universities, but thats not all of them. The coaches and players do play for a higher being and they enjoy the spirit of ND. There are great priests and professors on campus and they love their catholic faith. ND will win the National Championship and when they do, the same hate filled people here will hopefully go away !!

Posted by Paul Malak on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 10:48 AM (EST):

I cannot believe there are so many closed minded people and people that do not know or have all the facts that comment on articles like this. Yes, Notre Dame is a Catholic University, but not everyone who goes there is catholic. Does that mean Notre Dame should infringe on their rights to speak and believe what they do? My goodness, it seems like most people here want to go back to the days of book burning and The Inquisition. I feel sorry for people who cannot, or will not, accept that someone else has a different point of view then them.

GO IRISH!

Posted by Ioannes on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 6:40 AM (EST):

If only they hadn’t given the pro-abort in chief an honarary degree…
Btw, Why is the statue of Our Lady no longer on the dome?

Posted by AEUrban on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 12:36 AM (EST):

“lou maini” - I see you spewing this same hatred on multiple web sites - don’t you have better things to do??

Posted by AEUrban on Saturday, Jan 5, 2013 12:34 AM (EST):

Shame on all of you hyper-critical people! I was born and raised in South Bend and lived most of my life in South Bend, graduated from Holy Cross College run by the Holy Cross Brothers, and spent a lot of time attending various athletic events, spiritual, and secular events at N.D. and I know of all the good the University of Notre Dame has done for the South Bend community and the world at large and in turning out wonderful, highly qualified, socially aware young men and women. Sure, N.D. has made mistakes, some I am truly ashamed about, WHO HASN’T? “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” You only hear about the bad stuff in the media because that is what makes the news. Before you start criticizing, you should really find out what good is and has been done by and through the University that doesn’t make the news - I think you would be truly impressed and ashamed of yourself for spewing this hatred against a fine academic institution. GO IRISH!

Posted by Megan on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 11:30 PM (EST):

There are quite a few comments here for which the people who posted them need to attend Reconciliation. Lying is a mortal sin.

Posted by John F on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 8:25 PM (EST):

Kudos to the Register for reporting on some of the many good things at ND. As usual, the combox yields ignorant remarks from those who think they know just how evil ND is, without ever having set foot on the campus.

Somehow ND’s pro-life student organization leading the March for Life is a cause for shame? Notre Dame Right to Life has more members than any other student organization at the University. Shame on the March organizers for letting ND students give the pro-life witness that they are already giving year round?

To be sure, there are many things wrong with Notre Dame, but so little that is right about Notre Dame gets any publicity. I personally know many people who either became Catholic or embraced the fullness of their Catholic faith at Notre Dame. I know others who found orthodox Catholic community for the first time in their lives on campus at ND, among students and faculty.

Thank you NDReg. and Trent Beattie for some excellent, unbiased reporting on ND!

Posted by Anon on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 7:10 PM (EST):

Gene,

You do not have to be a hermit. Just stop worshipping football. Catholics need to get it straight. Sports have become a god in our culture. Football techs like ND glorify sports. Return to the faith and academics and leave the ball playing to children.

Posted by Gene on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 5:17 PM (EST):

It is unfortunate that some Catholic zealots are against anything that is not 100% Catholic orthodoxy. Best then to live as a hermit in a cave.

Posted by Jim Ballard on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 3:48 PM (EST):

I be pulling for Alabama. They are a secular University, and know it. Notre Dame is secular and doesn’t know it. Better to pull for someone who knows exactly what they are, and doesn’t try to hide it.

Posted by P. Garbe on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 3:30 PM (EST):

too bad their ‘coach’ supports abortion….among other things

Posted by bruce moorhead on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 3:22 PM (EST):

Shame on Notre Dame with Fr.Jenkins, Fr.Hesburgh And Fr.McBrien - the most anti-Catholic Priests at Notre Dame! I cannot believe that Notre Dame student body will lead the Pro-Life Parade in The March For Life in January! What’s wrong with the creeps that voted to have Notre Dame lead this March? There are many decent Catholic Colleges and Universities that teach good moral values- not Notre Dame! Shame on the National Right To Life for selecting Notre Dame!

Posted by Michael Elohim on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 3:04 PM (EST):

Their football may have mystique, but I am more mystified by their university’s perpetual pro-gay/pro-abortion anti-Catholic heresies. NCReg should not promote anything related to ND until they learn to obey Church authority and teaching.

Posted by TG on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 2:27 PM (EST):

I’m hoping they lose since they are traitors to the Catholic faith.

Posted by Neale Lanigan on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 2:26 PM (EST):

Ironic that Parseghian wasn’t Catholic and that Nick Saban is, not only a Catholic but such a devout one that he has a mass said before every Alabama football game. Does ND’s mass cancel out Saban’s mass or vice versa? Anyway, I live in Alabama so, Roll Tide!

Posted by DW on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 2:17 PM (EST):

I’ll root for ol’Notre Damne on Monday ... tabling their all to often Catholic camouflage coating causes ... but more because ... well dang it ... it’s ABSEC (anybody but the SEC) !!!! :)

Go Bucks!

Posted by Tom Piatak on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 1:24 PM (EST):

A great article and a good description of the Catholic traditions surrounding the football team. Go Irish!

Posted by Norma McIntyre on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 10:55 AM (EST):

This is an excellent article and I hope and pray that the football players are truly somehow touched spiritually. I will be rooting for Notre Dame.
However, I am confused by news reports about a football player who was accused of rape of a young women who later committed suicide on campus.
I do hope that this case was accurately and thoroughly investigated.

Posted by Bob on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 10:42 AM (EST):

ND is an institution that has abandoned it’s claim to any form of Chritian identity in my view. Under their current President, administration and faculty they promote the spirit of the age, not the Holy Spirit. I hope those Baptists (perhaps there are some good Catholics too) at Alabama whoop ND.

Posted by lou maini on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 10:20 AM (EST):

Last October, a 20-year-old student, was killed videotaping a practise - a practise! - when a 53-mile-per-hour gust knocked over a 40-foot hydraulic lift he was perched on. Afterwards, an investigation led by the university’s vice president concluded that no one person was responsible for Declan’s death. I know of no specific Catholic values that would support putting a young man’s life at risk to insure that a football practise was properly filmed. Indeed, Notre Dame, which has been noticeably berift of Catholic values for decades, acted no differently than any other secular organization in producing a self-serving whitewash. Had Decan’s parents shared the same values as Notre Dame, the school would be facing a multi-million-dollar lawsuit, and Coach Kelly and his minions would be on trial for murder.

Posted by john stack on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 9:42 AM (EST):

my father played ND football for Rockne in the 1920s behind the four horsemen. i graudated from Northwestern where parseghian coached before ND

Posted by Anon on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 9:32 AM (EST):

No matter how it is sugar coated football has become a god to many these days. The answer is to put sports back in their proper place. Separating it from colleges is a great way to start.

Posted by Kenny on Friday, Jan 4, 2013 9:18 AM (EST):

If only ND could be genuine, honest, and open in its Catholic faith.

But that door closed in the 1960s/70s when Hesburgh sold out principle for Rockefeller Foundation money and ‘academic’ honors.

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